The Differences Between Vapor Blasting and Sandblasting in Colorado

When you’re preparing for tank cleaning, you might be wondering whether vapor blasting or tank sandblasting in Colorado is your better option. Your choice primarily depends on the substrate material, the condition of that material, how much prep will be required for the job and the type of coating you’re looking into applying.

Here’s a brief overview of each of these two common methods and how they differ to help you make a more informed choice.

Vapor blasting

Vapor blasting is a type of non-aggressive prep technique used in applications that need a finer finish than you’d get out of sandblasting. The technique combines a fine blasting media with a thin film of water to remove dirt, corrosion, contaminants and old paint from surfaces. The cleaning effect is gentle enough to be used on even some rather delicate surfaces, and is therefore relied upon in these applications that require more care because of the reduced amount of surface deformation and the higher-quality finish. The water also helps flush away the debris and prevents the blasting media from accumulating on the surface.

Because vapor blasting does not require as much abrasive material as sandblasting, it is a more cost-effective means of preparing a surface. It also helps lower dust emissions, because of the use of water. This means there is minimal impact on other activities being done in the area at the same time. It is, in fact, safe to vapor blast materials in both open and enclosed spaces, and eliminates the risk of dust fires in the process.

In addition, if you care about being environmentally friendly with your surface prep method, vapor blasting is the best way to go, because it uses limited amounts of water while still creating a contaminant-free surface.

Sandblasting

Sandblasting is a type of heavy-duty surface prep method that involves the use of pressurized air to blast sand particles or other types of abrasive materials at surfaces to remove paint, dirt, contaminants and corrosion, while also creating a new surface profile to improve adhesion between the substrate and a new coat of paint.

Before you begin the sandblasting process, you must properly calibrate the blasting equipment and select the right blasting media for your given application. You’ll find media such as silicon carbide, glass beads, steel grit, aluminum oxide, steel shot, walnut shells, baking soda and plastic beads. The harder abrasives are used for preparing metal alloys, while the soft abrasives are used for removing paint, finishes, dirt and contaminants from softer materials like rubber, fiberglass, wood, plastic and composites.

While sandblasting is extremely efficient and effective, it does require much larger quantities of blasting media than vapor blasting, which can make it more expensive. It also creates large amounts of dust, which can have an effect on the environment and the general safety of the job.

For more information about the differences between vapor blasting and sandblasting in Colorado and which is going to be the better option for your job, contact DJC Enterprises Inc. today.

Categorised in: Sandblasting, Tank Sandblasting

This post was written by Writer